Availability, salience and vividness

Availability, salience and vividness are three terms which refer to very similar things in social psychology but have slightly different meanings. They may actually all refer to the same underlying concept, and they positively influence one another, but they are each used consistently in different theoretical contexts.

Availability refers to how likely or probable something appears, in probability estimation.

Salience refers to the likelihood that something will appear causal, in attribution theory.

Vividness refers to how easily recalled and convincing something is, in persuasion.

References

• Plous, S. (1993). The psychology of judgment and decision making. New York: McGraw-Hill.